SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 27, 2013--
(NASDAQ: AMZN)—The Kindle Worlds Store and Self-Service Submission
Platform are now open. Customers can enjoy works from dozens of authors
including Barbara Freethy (writing in Pretty Little Liars),
Charles Sasser (Foreworld Saga) and Anita Clenney (The Vampire
Diaries). Kindle World’s Self-Service Submission Platform enables
any writer to publish fan fiction based on a range of original stories
and characters and earn royalties for doing so. To browse the store and
learn more about Kindle Worlds, visit www.amazon.com/kindleworlds.

Kindle Worlds is a new publishing model that allows any writer to
publish authorized stories inspired by popular Worlds and make them
available for readers to purchase in the Kindle Store, and earn up to a
35% royalty while doing so. Kindle Worlds stories will typically be
priced between $0.99 and $3.99 and will be exclusive to Kindle. To learn
more and get started writing, visit kindleworlds.amazon.com.

Here’s what authors and licensors are saying about Kindle Worlds:

“It’s actually a gift to be able to take someone else’s creation and
see whether you can take it in a new direction. Watch every show; read
every comic book. Honor the canon and honor the fans. There is a
reason these stories have become so popular. And don’t feel restricted
by the universe that has already been created. It reminds me a bit of
writing a haiku or a sonnet. There are rules that must be followed,
but within those rules, you can go anywhere. Your imagination is the
only limit.” —Carolyn Nash, writer in Archer & Armstrong

“I believe Kindle Worlds has the potential to increase writership in
much the same way the introduction of the Kindle expanded readership.
I am thrilled for the Silo Saga to be a part of this program.
It’s a natural fit because for the past year, talented authors have
been exploring Silos of their own creation, and I look forward to
reading more and to crafting some Worlds stories of my own.” —Hugh
Howey, World Licensor for the Silo Saga

“I was intrigued by the opportunity to create something that
absolutely had to fall inside a canon that someone else came up with.
In one way, it was very freeing to do so. Because the universe itself
exists, with all the richness of an already established background and
history, I could get right into the meat of the story without having
to explain everything to the readers. I did try to make it
understandable and enjoyable to a newcomer to the world, however. But
there’s a lot I worked to add that will hopefully tickle the fancy of
the fans.” —L.J. McDonald, writer in The Vampire Diaries

“It was great fun to play ‘What if?’ and come up with scenarios that
had ties to things that have happened on Vampire Diaries but which
took things in a different direction or introduced new characters that
could fit into the world of Mystic Falls. There’s probably not a
writer fangirl alive who hasn’t fantasized about being able to write
at least one episode of her favorite show, and I’m no different. While
these stories aren’t show episodes, it’s still pretty darn cool to be
able to write them with the idea of fellow fans reading them.” —Trish
Milburn, writer in The Vampire Diaries

The Kindle Worlds Store is now open with over 50 commissioned stories
including:

Today’s announcement is also a call to storytellers to join Kindle
Worlds. Here’s how the self-service submission platform works:

Choose Your World: Choose a World to write in and read the content
guidelines.

Sign Up and Submit: Sign in (or sign up) with your Amazon account and
submit your work using our self-service submission platform.

Review and Publish: Amazon Publishing will review your submission for
compliance with the stated guidelines and we’ll publish your work once
approved. Each sale of the Work will result in a royalty to the author.

“Today, we launch the Kindle Worlds Store and the platform that will
enable any writer to benefit from writing in one of the Worlds we’ve
licensed,” said Philip Patrick, Director, Business Development and
Publisher of Kindle Worlds. “We look forward to hearing feedback from
readers and writers, and hope to learn and improve as time goes on.”

Amazon Publishing has already secured licenses from:

Warner Bros. Television Group’s Alloy Entertainment division for its
New York Times best-selling book series Gossip Girl, by Cecily
von Ziegesar; Pretty Little Liars, by Sara Shepard; and The
Vampire Diaries, by L.J. Smith

Best-selling authors Hugh Howey for Silo Saga, Barry Eisler for
his John Rain novels,Blake Crouch for his Wayward PinesSeries,
and the Foreworld Saga by Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark
Teppo and more

Amazon Publishing is engaged with additional rights holders from
different areas of entertainment—books, games, TV, movies and music—and
looks forward to announcing future deals soon. To get started writing
works in licensed properties and to view the submission guidelines and
instructions, visit the Self-Service Submission Platform at kindleworlds.amazon.com.
For updates on licensed properties and to buy Kindle Worlds works, visit www.amazon.com/kindleworlds.
For regular updates on Kindle Worlds, follow @KindleWorlds on Twitter.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com,
Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on
the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest
Selection. Amazon.com,
Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers
can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and
endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com
and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used
items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital
Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby;
Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors;
and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s
developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services
based on Amazon’s own back-end technology platform, which developers can
use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the
most-advanced e-reader ever constructed with 62% more pixels and 25%
increased contrast, a patented built-in front light for reading in all
lighting conditions, extra-long battery life, and a thin and light
design. The new latest generation Kindle, the lightest and smallest
Kindle, now features new, improved fonts and faster page turns. Kindle
Fire HD features a stunning custom high-definition display, exclusive
Dolby audio with dual stereo speakers, high-end, laptop-grade Wi-Fi with
dual-band support, dual-antennas and MIMO for faster streaming and
downloads, enough storage for HD content, and the latest generation
processor and graphics engine—and it is available in two display
sizes—7” and 8.9”. The large-screen Kindle Fire HD is also available
with 4G wireless, and comes with a groundbreaking $49.99 introductory 4G
LTE data package. The all-new Kindle Fire features a 20% faster
processor, 40% faster performance, twice the memory, and longer battery
life.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly
from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve
risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to
competition, management of growth, new products, services and
technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international
expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment and
data center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements,
acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system
interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments
and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect
Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual
Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.